Birthday Surprise
by simplyshelbs16
Summary: It's Molly's birthday and Sherlock gives her quite the surprise. Post-TFP. I do not own the characters; Sir ACD and Moftiss/BBC do.


**Author's Note:** requested by Bellarsam Chrisjulittle; inspired by Loo's story about Ben from her MagicCon interview in Germany. I hope you enjoy it! Let me know your thoughts!

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Molly Hooper wasn't having the best day. She didn't mind working on her birthday, but a particular autopsy that had to be done had upset her. On top of that, nobody seemed to remember her birthday either. It was rare that she celebrated it herself, but after the year she had been having, Molly wanted a little celebration. Meena was out of town so her usual birthday brunch they had together wouldn't be happening. Her phone pinged, alerting her to a text message.

 **Come to Baker Street after your shift. Bring thumbs if at all possible. SH**

Molly groaned in frustration. All she wanted to do was go straight home and relax. Though he was her favourite person to be around, she had been more skittish around him since the Sherrinford aftermath, avoiding him as much as humanly possible. Another text came through.

 **Please, Molly? I'm afraid it's imperative. SH**

 **Alright, I'll be there since you asked so nicely. MH**

With that, she finished up her shift and caught a cab to Baker Street. She had a couple of thumbs that he asked for in her bag. After a light knock on the door, Mrs. Hudson answered.

"Molly, go on up, he's waiting for you," Mrs. Hudson beamed. "Oh and Happy Birthday, dear!"

"Oh, uh, thanks, Mrs. Hudson," Molly smiled. The familiar sound of Sherlock's Stradivarius drifted throughout the flat when Molly peeked her head in. He noticed her from the corner of his eye and turned toward her, flashing a crooked smile as he finished up the melody. She tried to get her erratic heartbeat under control, but it was a fruitless endeavor.

"Molly," Sherlock nodded struggling to keep the smile off of his face; a real genuine smile just for her.

"I, uh, brought those thumbs for you," Molly told him, holding out the small plastic bag of ice that contained them.

"Thank you, Molly, you didn't have to," Sherlock responded.

"But, you asked for—" Molly trailed off.

"I did, but it was just to have a reason for you to come over that wouldn't make you suspicious," Sherlock explained.

Suspicious?" Molly questioned. "Sherlock, what's going on?" He said nothing but stepped behind her, lightly pushing against her shoulders to guide her towards the kitchen. He stopped them just at the doorway and to her surprise, the kitchen was spotless and free of experiments for once. The table was set with fish and chips for dinner and an egg custard tart with a birthday candle in it.

"Happy Birthday, Molly Hooper," Sherlock whispered in her ear. Her eyes welled up with tears as she turned to face him.

"Sherlock," Molly cried, a tear slipping down her cheek. "This is so sweet of you. Thank you." He leaned in and brushed his lips against her cheek, kissing the tear away. After a moment of silence, he led her to the table, pulling out her chair before seating himself.

"I would've attempted cooking but I was on a bit of a time crunch," Sherlock chuckled.

"How did the case go?" Molly asked.

"It was okay; solved. It was barely a six," Sherlock replied. "I can see you've had a hard day."

"I did," Molly confirmed, "until now." She flashed him a smile that lit up her eyes. Sherlock felt himself diving into buffering mode but what happened next made him wish he had.

"Your irises are a favourable shade of brown," Sherlock blurted out, his neck flushed pink.

"Thank…you?" Molly blushed. He cleared his throat.

"Yes, well," he paused, unable to think of anything to say after that embarrassment. The silence stretched as they ate the rest of their meal. Once finished, he lit the candle that was in the egg custard tart.

"How did you know that was my favourite?" Molly asked.

"The way I do everything else," Sherlock smirked. "I deduced it." He slid the tart over to her. Closing her eyes, she took a moment to make a wish in her head; a pointless tradition to Sherlock but he kept his mouth closed for once. She blew out the candle and slipped it out, licking the custard from the bottom of it.

"Mmm," she hummed in delight. "So good." Sherlock chuckled. _She's lovely_ , he thought.

"What?" Molly asked, a look of bewilderment on her face. _I said that out loud_ , Sherlock told himself. _Abort._

"I—hmm?" Sherlock replied.

"You think I'm lovely?" she questioned, a small smile graced her lips. _Those lips_. Sherlock refocused himself.

"Yes," he breathed out. "You are the loveliest woman I know." This certainly wasn't the way he planned to tell her these things, but he couldn't seem to stop it now. His emotions took over fully, forcing the words to come to the surface. "I, uh, hope we can do this again."

"Same day next year?" Molly joked as she and Sherlock stood from their seats. They stepped closer to one another almost automatically, as if they were magnets. "I had a lovely evening. Thank you, Sherlock." He wasn't prepared for her arms to wrap around him in a warm embrace, nor was he prepared that his own body would respond without a thought processed. Sherlock held her close, pressing his lips in her hair.

"I love you," he murmured. "I don't know how to do any of this, but I love you." Molly lifted her head to meet his eyes.

"I love you too, Sherlock," Molly spoke softly. He caressed her cheek with his hand. Sherlock knew he had waited too bloody long for this moment; they both had. His lips captured hers and it was nothing short of euphoric. Her fingers found his curls and he hummed with pleasure against her lips. Sherlock tugged gently at her bottom lip, only wanting more. Nevermind the alarm that his heart was surely about to beat out of his chest. Their noses nuzzled against each other as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Molly reciprocated immediately, her fingers tightening in his curls. As their tongues met for the first time, Sherlock wondered why he had ever dismissed the act of snogging. It was wonderful. He was kissing _Molly_. Lovely Molly. His Molly.

They both came up for air, their breathing heavy.

"Wow," Molly panted, "that's the first birthday wish to ever come true." And then they were laughing until their bellies ached. He picked her up and spun her around, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck, just below her ear as he set her down.

"Happy Birthday," Sherlock told her, kissing her again.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Molly asked, her eyes twinkling.

"Of course," Sherlock answered with a smile. And with that, she left to go home. Minor mishaps aside, the evening turned out splendidly. His heart felt full for the first time and he finally understood what John was talking about. Romantic entanglements were fulfilling for him…but only with his Molly.


End file.
